jueves, 2 de abril de 2009

lunes, 23 de marzo de 2009

For my students of 2nd year Bachillerato: read this article and write a for and against composition about the advantages and disadvantages of selling one's private life.

Jade Goody, the reality television star who lived her life in the spotlight, has lost her fight against her illness.Reality television star Jade Goody, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year, has died, her publicist said this morning.The 27-year-old, who was told she had cancer in August while appearing on Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother, died in her sleep at her home in Upshire, Esssex, at 3.14am, Max Clifford said.The prime minister led tributes to Goody, praising her bravery and the way she raised awareness of cancer.Clifford said Goody's mother, Jackiey Budden, and husband Jack Tweed were at her side when she died. A family friend, Kevin Adams, was also there. Budden called Clifford to tell him: "My beautiful daughter is at peace."Speaking outside her home, wearing pyjamas with a coat over the top, she added: "Family and friends would like privacy at last."In a statement Gordon Brown said he was "deeply saddened" by the news."She was a courageous woman both in life and death and the whole country has admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children."Conservative leader David Cameron said: "Her legacy will be to save the lives of more young women in the future. My thoughts are with her family and particularly her two young sons at this terrible time."Mourners started arriving at the house to pay tribute to Goody within minutes of the news breaking. They left floral tributes at the gates of her home. Goody's body was taken out of her home and placed in the back of an estate car shortly before 8am.Clifford said: "She died as she lived, in the public eye … it was her way of handling it."In spite of undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Goody learned in February that the cancer had spread to other organs and was warned she had only a short time to live. The prognosis propelled her to try to secure the financial future of her two young sons, Bobby, five, and Freddie, four, through a series of media deals thought to be worth £1m.Her wedding to Jack Tweed on 22 February took place behind closed doors as part of an exclusive magazine and television deal. Tweed, 21, was able to spend the night with his bride after Jack Straw, the justice secretary, intervened to waive the groom's curfew. Tweed was banned from going out at night following his release from prison for attacking a 16-year-old boy with a golf club. He has since been found guilty of a further assault.Goody, a former dental nurse, shot to fame on the 2002 series of Big Brother, where she was ridiculed by media commentators for her appearance and ignorance – she asked whether East Anglia was "abroad" and thought Rio de Janeiro was a person. She finished fourth and spent the next couple of years making the most of her fame - producing keep-fit DVDs, opening a beauty salon, writing her autobiography, launching her own perfume and appearing on television shows including Celebrity Wife Swap and Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes.The public turned against her in 2007 after she was accused of racism and bullying towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother. More than 45,000 people complained to the media regulator Ofcom about Goody's behaviour towards Shetty. Goody visited India to apologise for the distress her actions had caused and had hoped her appearance on Bigg Boss would also help to make amends. She left the show to return to the UK after discovering during filming that she had cancer. Specialists reported a rise in demand for cervical cancer screening following Goody's diagnosis. Cervical cancer is the second biggest cancer killer of women in their early 30s in the UK.After learning that her cancer might be terminal, Goody told the News of the World: "I've lived my whole adult life talking about my life. The only difference is that I'm talking about my death now. It's OK."I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them."

Dear students of 4th ESO,After thinking about how to make you practice the conditional sentences we have been studying in class, I finally found a funny activity: for the next day you will have to copy and translate all the conditional sentences of the song "If I were a boy" from Beyoncé. You will find a link on the right side of this page, in the label called Lyrics.See you.

viernes, 13 de marzo de 2009

The cast and crew of British movies will no longer be hailed as the underdogs at awards ceremonies. At the recent 81st Oscars ceremony, British actors and movies won no less [sic] than 11 awards.The list of Oscar winners is usually dominated by American films and actors but 2009 has seen a more international flavour to the ceremony. British actors and actresses have long awaited such global recognition. Kate Winslet was nominated six times for an Oscar before she eventually won the Best Actress award at this year's ceremony.Slumdog Millionaire lived up to its status as a global success and movie phenomenon. The low-budget movie swept the board winning eight Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture. The movie, which documents the life of a young Indian boy after he wins a TV game show, has definitely helped to raise the profile of the British film industry.Summarising the national feeling, British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, issued a statement saying "Britain is showing it has the talent to lead the world".A spokesman for the UK Film Council agreed with Mr Brown's comments but added that many of this year's movie winners have benefited from national funding. "With our lottery funding for Man on Wire and The Duchess, and Film4's support for Slumdog Millionaire, last night proved that government support for film can deliver success on a global scale", he said.Addressing the growing fervour for British film, Slumdog director Danny Boyle has urged people to remain calm and to be realistic after his remarkable Oscar success. "You've got to be careful of claiming that this marks the renaissance of the British film industry. It is one film", he said.

Fuente: BBC

ACTIVITIES1. Reading Quiz: Are these sentences true or false? Or is the answer not given in the text? Circle the correct answer.

1. The British film industry won 11 Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards Ceremony.True / False / Not given2. British actors and actresses often win Oscars.True / False / Not given3. The success of the movie Slumdog Millionaire has helped the British film industry.True / False / Not given4. The British prime minister believes that a lot of talented people work in the UK filmindustry.True / False / Not given5. Some of the winning movies had received money from the UK government or othernational organisations.True / False / Not given

2. Order of Adjectives: Arrange the words to make sentences. Think about the order of the adjectives.

1. great is Chinese This a martial arts film.2. horror It was a old terrible movie.3. movie had classical brilliant a The soundtrack.4. film rather a unrealistic has The ending.5. British are two They outstanding actresses.

3. Film genres: What type of movies were these people watching? Match a word from the box to each comment:action animation horror musical romantic

comedy science fiction war western

1. "The film was so frightening that I had to close my eyes".2. "I don't usually like movies about love and relationships but this one was reallyfunny".3. "The audience obviously enjoyed this movie because everyone was singing along".4. "It was a typical cowboy film. There was a showdown at a saloon, a corrupt sheriffand a girl in need of rescue".5. "Although this was not a true story, I thought the film quite accurately depicted asoldier's life during battle".6. "I knew before I watched this movie that it was going to be fantastic. After all, thefilm is about an alien invasion".7. "The car-chase and the stunts in this movie were awesome".8. "I think the person who illustrated this film deserves an Oscar".